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Friday, 5th January 2007 (5600 views)

Kundan and Thewa, traditional Indian jewellery that became famous after adorning the Rajasthani royals, has witnesses something of a comeback, according to experts.

The setting of precious stones or glass into gold became a trademark of Kundan jewellers and during the 17th to 19th centuries, the Indian city of Jaipur became synonymous with this type of jewellery.

One artisan, Roopa Vohra, who has helped to introduce Thewa jewellery to a wider, contemporary audience said that she was not familiar with this form of jewellery and so "decided to visit Rajasthan, learn more about this craft and popularise it".

Ms Roopa went on to state that jewellery can be accessorised with splashes of colour, stating: "If we can match our footwear to our clothes, we should be able to do the same with our jewellery too."

Thewa when translated to English means 'setting' and in order to preserve this type of jewellery, the Indian government decided to immortalise it on a postage stamp back in 2004.

Kundan is a speciality of Rajasthan and involves diamonds being set in lac and then the gold is used to cover the lac with the precious stone placed into it.

 

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